Shin Gundam Tensei
by Shinigami Miroku
Summary: The year is After Colony 195... or is it Anno Domini 2011? The wheel of fate turns for two teenage men in a meeting of the minds across the entirety of time. What effect will this have on the Investigation Team and the Gundam Fighters?
1. Chapter 1

Shin Gundam Tensei: Persona AC

a Persona 4/Gundam Wing crossover-fic

by: Dark Daisuke

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

"_Welcome... to the Velvet Room."_

* * *

"Duo! Hey, Duo!" a voice shouted from nearby, causing the boy with long braided hair to shake his head, clearing it from the dream he'd had last night.

"Hey, Duo!" Hilde yelled from the house across the junkyard. "There's someone here to see you, something about a new shipment from Mars!"

"Thanks, Hilde. Be over in a second!" Duo shouted back as he picked up what looked to be a valuable piece of titanium, likely from an old Tragos mobile suit. Since the attempted revolution by the White Fang, Duo had continued his job with the Sweepers group, which worked to clean up the space debris that had collected since before the war had even begun; indeed, much of the trash had collected since space had been penetrated by man and the space age had begun. The Sweepers had been founded by the U.N. when the idea for the space colonies had first been brought up, as many of the Lagrange Points around the Earth had collected much space debris from both passing meteors and space stations. Their continued existence was due to their perseverance, ingenuity, and no small support from the Earth-Sphere Unified Nation, and this is where Duo now found himself, with a new family and someone he could call his own; he had been living with the ex-OZ pilot since the second half of the war, after he rescued her from an eventual death that came from being his opposition, and recently they'd started 'officially' going out, to the delight of Relena Darlian and no surprise from her beau and Duo's brother-in-arms, Heero Yuy.

Now, business was booming as Relena's new project, the Mars terra-forming project, was in its initial planning stage and new resources were being collected from Mars's gravitational field, and Duo was one of the many hands required to sift through it along with the local debris, seeing if any of it was useful. It was a dirty task, but Duo didn't mind it too much since it got his mind to focus on the present a lot; trying to shed his old moniker 'The God of Death' was never easy, and to Hilde's dismay he would let it slip. The other reason was that he got to travel a lot and see his family and friends when their paths crossed.

Duo stood up and wiped the dust off of his hands as he walked to the front of the yard, noting the red in the visitor's outfit. _She looks more like a gas-station worker..._ Duo thought to himself as he looked over the list. _Well, it's legitimate, so I guess I have my work cut out for me._ "Thanks for delivering the stuff."

"No problem; I'm pretty new to this job, and I almost got lost on my way from the spaceport," the woman said as she chuckled. "Still, I'm glad I got it, especially since I get to meet a real war hero."

Duo sighed as the woman continued. "We really owe you guys more than we could ever repay, y'know? You kept digging through the lies and deceit of the governments to get to the truth of the matter. The truth is very important..." Duo looked up from the paper at the woman in curiosity. _The truth, huh... Yeah, I guess we did do that, but what's so important about that? I mean, we just did what we thought was right._ He thought this as she finished. "You think the truth is important, right? I mean, without the truth, humanity would destroy itself with its own delusions."

Duo nodded in response. "Yeah, I suppose so. Well, I have to get back to work, so I'll see you around."

"No problem." She held out her hand to shake Duo's. "We'll meet again."

Duo grasped her hand and shook it, noting the surprising power behind the shake before releasing it and returning to the house to file the list, the woman climbing into the truck to tow the debris to the yard. "Yes, 'God of Death'... we'll meet again, and when we do, we'll see how dedicated you are to the truth..." A hearty laugh could be heard were it not for the loud roar of the truck's engine.

* * *

A boy stood in a train, watching the scenery pass by as people gossiped behind him, talking about the popular stars and latest scandals. _... Troublesome gossipers... celebrities are people like us, after all. What makes them so desirable?_

"*Attention. Passengers headed to Inaba City and Yasoinaba Station please head to the opposite track.*"

_Hmm, that's my stop._ As the train began slowing, Souji Seta quickly grabbed his luggage from the top storage rack and made his way to the exit and to his connection. Two hours and a five-second nightmare later, he stepped out of the train and into Yasoinaba Station. _Quiet... hm, definitely not like the city._

No sooner did he say this that a voice called out from his left. "Hey! Over here!" He looked over and saw a middle-aged adult and a young child beside him. _Ah, there's oji-san. Hope he hasn't been waiting too long._

"Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo." the man said as they met. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see... I'm your mother's younger brother... and that about sums it up."

Souji smiled, remembering the last time he'd seen his uncle. "It's been a long time."

Ryotaro smiled back. "I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers..." He then motioned to the girl beside him. "This here's my daughter." He then turned to the girl. "Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

"..... 'lo." she mumbled, not looking up at the new face, instead running behind her father out of embarrassment, earning a chuckle from him.

"What're you so shy for?" This earned a smack from the child, which brought another chuckle, though with a slight twinge of pain, to the adult. "Well then, let's get going. My car's over there."

With that, the three got into the car and headed for the city. In short order, they arrived, but the gas needle was running low, so they stopped at the gas station in the middle of the shopping center, where an attendant quickly ran out to greet them. "Hi! Welcome to Moel!"

Ryotaro looked back at Nanako as he opened his car door. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?"

"Uh-huh." Nanako replied, opening her door as well.

The attendant looked back as Nanako walked toward the building. "Do you know where the bathroom is? It's to the left. You know which way is left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in."

Nanako responded with a withering look that looked out of place on the child's face. "I know... geeze..." With that, she disappeared behind the building.

The attendant smiled to herself as she turned to Ryotaro. "You guys headed out on a trip?"

He shook his head in response. "No, just went to the station to pick up this guy. He just moved here from the big city."

"From the city, huh..." the attendant nodded knowingly as she reached for a towel.

"Fill up the gas tank while you're at it. Regular is fine..." Ryotaro said as he walked toward the sidewalk. "Good time as any for a smoke..."

The attendant nodded and started wiping the windshield as she talked to the teenager. "Say, are you a high school student?" She earned a nod in return. "Coming to a totally empty place like this... I'll bet you're surprised, right?"

Souji shook his head, smiling slightly out of courtesy; something about the girl felt odd to him. "Not really; I'm actually enjoying the quiet."

The attendant leaned up from the car and approached him. "You know, I think it's pretty dull here. There isn't much to do here; you'll either be hanging out with your friends or taking on a part-time job." She looked up in thought, then looked back. "Ah, now that I think about it, we're taking on part-time help now, and we don't mind if you're a high school student. Just think about it, okay?" She reached out her hand to shake his, which he took and shook firmly, not noticing the hidden strength in the grip. Remembering her duty, she let go and stepped back. "Ah, I have to get back to work." With that, she disappeared on the other side of the car.

Almost immediately after the attendant left to do her duty, and unconsciously noticing her wicked smile, Nanako walked over, looking at her cousin worriedly. "You don't look so good.. . are you carsick?"

"N-no, I'm fine..." though, despite saying that, he could feel his head spinning a little. _Maybe I did... I just got off a high-speed train, after all..._

Fortunately, the drive home was uneventful, and the dinner was festive. He'd talked with Nanako a bit after Ryotaro got called in to work and found out that Junes, a popular mega-store that had several stores in each of the major cities, had opened a store in Inaba. Briefly the thought of how it would affect the small town crossed his mind, but he forgot about it as he enjoyed singing with Nanako. Finally, though, it was time for bed. _I'll unpack after school tomorrow... man, couldn't my parents have let me come down a few days ago? How troublesome..._ Sleep was all he could think about at this point as the dizziness returned, and soon he was claimed by the darkness.

* * *

"Duo, are you okay? You've been looking sick ever since we got that new shipment in. You're not working yourself too hard again, are you?" Hilde said as she kneeled over Duo, who was laying on the couch. His skin had paled and his eyelids were drooping, but otherwise he didn't seem sick.

"Yeah, I'll be fine; I guess I just need a nap or something... wake me up when dinner's ready, okay?" He chuckled as he turned over, falling asleep almost immediately.

She snorted at the idea, but smiled anyway. "Rest well, Duo..." She placed a kiss on his cheek, then got up to start boiling water for tea.

* * *

His eyes fluttered open, but the blank light that filled his vision caused him to rub his eyes as he looked around. However, no matter where he looked, except for down, which was filled with red blocks, the entirety of his vision was shrouded in mist. _Just like my dreams over the past several years..._ Souji thought as he stood up shakily, praying that the red blocks that now supported him did not fall out from underneath him as they had in his previous nightmares. Just as he decided to move forward, however, he heard a shift behind him; this caused him to jump as he whirled around, coming face to face with someone else. The boy's most noticeable feature was his super-long hair, which had been braided, but his eyes... _They feel familiar..._ he thought as he extended his hand toward the teen, almost to see if the figure was indeed real.

* * *

Duo awoke with a start, his head snapping around furiously, but as with the boy standing in front of him, the only things he could see were the red tiles and endless white. _Is this heaven...? No, why would heaven accept the God of Death...?_ Quickly he shook his head again, this time to rid himself of his thoughts. _No, no, no; Hilde would beat you senseless if she heard you thinking like that again._ He stood up, causing the guy in front of him to turn around and lock eyes with him. _Grey hair? That doesn't happen to young guys often... but then, platinum blond is rare too, so I guess anything's possible._ He took the boy's hand and blinked in surprise when he touched flesh.

Souji looked surprised as well, but it quickly vanished in a friendly smile. "Hey, don't think you would know anything about this place, huh? This is the first time I've had this dream and someone else has been in it."

Duo smiled as he said "Nope, your guess is as good as mine." It vanished as he looked around. "I don't like the looks of this place, though... something ominous about it, y'know?"

Souji nodded in agreement. "Yeah... well, looks like I'm still asleep, so I guess we'll have to start moving along this path... though I can't tell if it turns or ends more than a couple of meters in front of us."

Duo grinned. "No use worrying about it, though. Might as well get it over with. By the way, my name's Duo. Duo Maxwell. 'I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie.' That's me in a nutshell."

Souji laughed as he waved. "I'm Souji Seta... not much to me; I'm just a high-school student, but I never abandon others." This earned a smile and nod from Duo.

With that, the two started out, slowly at first as they kept their guard up, but their stride smoothed out. A couple of times one of them stumbled on the cracks between the blocks, but with the other one there they made good time, though neither had a clue as to what they were meeting... until a horrible screeching sound stopped them in their tracks, making them wince in pain.

"DO YOU SEEK THE TRUTH...?"

"What the hell was that?" Duo shouted as he looked around, his angry expression apparent.

"Don't know..." Silence followed, though, so the two continued onward until the sound returned.

"IF IT'S TRUTH YOU DESIRE, COME AND FIND ME..."

"... Whatever it is, we're getting close to it..." Souji mumbled as he started walking again.

"I hope whoever that voice belongs to is ready for a beating." Duo said as he walked alongside Souji. Shortly, they almost walked into the alternating-red-and-black door... well, Souji almost did; Duo, however, did.

"Ow..." he said as he fell backward. "Damn, that hurt... wait, that hurt? How can I feel pain and not be waking up?" He stood up and looked around. "... You know that bad feeling you get whenever you're in a strange place or situation?"

"Yeah..." Souji responded, not liking where this was going.

"... It just got worse." Duo said, reaching out to the door. "You ready?"

"Yeah..." Souji responded again.

Duo laughed as he moved to open the door. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"Not really... but then, most people would seem quiet compared to you." He chuckled, knowing he couldn't resist the light-hearted jab as Duo's face contorted into a fish's expression, followed by a silly grin as the door opened.

"So... you are the ones who are pursuing me..." a figure spoke as they entered the room. "Hmhmhm... Try all you like..." The voice was clearly taunting them.

Souji frowned as he brought his hands up, feeling another new something: the handle of a katana. It weighed almost nothing, yet its feel held surprising power. He heard another voice beside him, this one more familiar.

"What? Why do I have this! I don't remember carrying it before..." Duo looked in shock at what he was carrying; in essence, it was a human-sized version of the Gundam Deathscythe Hell's main weapon: the beam scissors. The dual blades of the scythe carried more overall power, but what shocked him the most was that it almost felt ethereal, as if it didn't exist unless he was in here. "Ah well, guess we gotta fight this guy!" With that, he slashed at the figure in the mist, surprised that while he had made contact, the figure had not fallen on the floor in two pieces.

Souji was right behind Duo, watching as he slashed at the cloaked being, and when he saw Duo back off, he moved in to attack. His attacks were similar in effect, but both of them were surprised by the response.

"Hmmm... It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog..."

Souji frowned and felt a call at the edge of his mind, and before he could realize what it was, a bolt of lightning shot from the sky and hit the enemy. Duo saw this, surprised by his friend's movements before he felt a similar call; when he reached out, a figure appeared and slashed down at the figure with its giant axe-like weapon.

"I see... you do indeed possess an interesting quality..." was all they got as a response, as if it was testing them.

Souji growled as he reached out again, this time the shadowed figure swiped at the image with its lance. Duo frowned as he rushed up to the enemy and slashed at it again. However, it was no use as the figure did not crumple, or so much as move.

"But... you will not catch me so easily..." The tone was the same as earlier, as if belittling their actions. "If what you seek is 'truth', then your search will be even harder..."

"So what! I don't care what you say; we'll figure this out no matter what you do!" Duo shouted; Souji for his part nodded in agreement.

"..." A thick shroud of fog then enveloped the figure.

Souji frowned as he tried to attack. "Gah, I can't see him now..."

"Everyone sees what they want to... and the fog only deepens..."

"What the hell does that mean?" Duo shouted as he tried to attack, only to miss as well.

"... Will we meet again...? At a place other than here... Hmhm... I look forward to it..." the voice faded from the room as the figure no longer looked to be there.

"..." Souji grunted as he felt the familiar feeling of losing consciousness. A thump from behind him told him that Duo had succumbed to the similar feeling that was now enveloping him.


	2. Chapter 2

Shin Gundam Tensei: Persona AC

a Persona 4/Gundam Wing crossover fanfic

by: Dark Daisuke

Chapter 2

_"The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent."_

*thump thump*

_Is that my heartbeat...?_

*thump thump*

_No, it's just the door... must be morning..._

"Breakfast is ready!" a small voice rang out from beyond the door as Souji's eyes opened. They almost closed again, but he noticed the clock and moaned in frustration. "Time to get up anyway... damn it." He got up and got dressed for school, trying to remember what he'd dreamed. "Stupid nightmare... it's the same one, I know it, but I can never really remember how it goes." He then pulled out a comb and started fixing his hair, which as usual had been messed up by the pillow. "But then there was that guy who I've never seen before, even in this dream... what was his name? Danzou? Hideo? Ah, whatever... not like I'll see him again." He shook his head as he grabbed his books and umbrella, walking downstairs to eat breakfast with his cousin.

The morning before school was relatively uneventful, aside from the short bonding moment Souji had with Nanako and seeing a guy run his bike into a pole, slipping off it and ramming his groin into the support bar. _Actually, that was kinda funny... but I guess I wouldn't be laughing had it happened to me..._ Souji had to hide his amused smile as he walked into the school building. It was smaller than his previous school, though not as small as he'd expected. Looking at the paper he'd been sent prior to moving, he quickly found his homeroom and looked around. He could hear students whispering about various things, ranging from what was on TV last night to what their homeroom teacher was going to be like. _I guess classrooms are the same no matter where you go_... He quickly gathered his wits as a short man in a blue suit walked past him and into the classroom, his own footsteps following as he entered behind the teacher.

The man turned around and shouted in a throaty growl "Awright, shut your traps!", which earned a raised eyebrow from Souji and groaned affirmations from the class. _Great, one of THESE teachers... guess they have to fill a quota or something._ His eyes scanned the classroom as the teacher continued to talk. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons." Souji paled as the teacher continued his speech._ Kami, I think this guy's worse than my homeroom teacher from two years ago... wait, 'Morooka'? Holy crap, they're related! Well, good news for me, since I know how to deal with his brother, or cousin, or whatever..._ "Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!" Ignoring the flat looks of the class, he looked at the transfer orders given to him from the faculty office. "Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student." A smirk appeared on his toothy face. "This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!" Souji's eyes, filled with disgust, locked with the teacher's. "Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick."

"..." A smirk crossed Souji's face. "It takes a loser to know a loser." A gasp was heard from the class, as no one had ever DARED to cross Morooka openly. Of course, the look of shock and barely-restrained fury on the teacher's face was priceless, in Souji's opinion, to which he thought _Hah, I've still got it… guess those two grew up together or something_. "… Hrnh, THAT'S IT! You're on my 'shit list', effective IMMEDIATELY!" Unfortunately this one seemed to have more experience, because he deflated after that. "Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them!" He then snorted and started ranting again. "But what do I know… it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your 'life-journals' and your 'my-places'…"

_Yup, just like him… wonder if they're twins or something. Oh well, no skin off my back, but I wish he'd shut up for one damned minute and give me a place to sit; my feet are killing me!_ Souji thought to himself, eyeing at an empty seat in the middle of the class, next to a cute girl in a green blazer. _Hmm, that wouldn't be a bad spot… granted that there's only a couple of seats available, but still, not bad overall._

The girl in green seemed to have the same idea as she raised her hand. "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" Morooka's eyes appeared unfocused as he tried to catch up. "Huh? Yeah, sure." Turning to Souji, Morooka gave him his best glare yet. "Hear that? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!"

Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Souji calmly made his way to his new seat as Morooka started ranting again, only to hear a whisper from his right. "He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… Well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year." Smiling in return, he turned his attention to the front as other whispers reached his ears, mainly about him, and it got to the point where he was… almost… relieved for Morooka to speak up. "Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!" At that, the class immediately quieted down, except for the steady calls of "Here!" in response to their names.

* * *

"Ugh… what happened?" Duo muttered as he stirred, the scent of tomatoes and aromatics hitting his nose and immediately waking him up.

"Oh, Duo, you woke up right on time. Dinner's ready!" Hilde said, pouring the sauce into the noodle pot and mixing them together before carrying it to their small table. "Did you sleep well?"

"… Yeah, I guess so. I feel a little better now." It was obvious that he wasn't so sure about that, though, as he stood up. "Look, Hilde-babe, I'm going to go wash up before eating, alright?"

"I was just about to tell you to do that… looks like you're catching on now." Hilde replied as she went back to the stove to prepare a pitcher of tea for them, somewhat pouty that Duo had remembered; she liked ordering him into the shower.

Five minutes later, Duo still hadn't finished washing his hair, but not for lack of effort; on the contrary, he was so used to the length that it was easy for him to care for it. His mind, however, was buzzing so loud that he couldn't even hear the water running. _What was all that? Who was that guy, and why would I dream about someone I've never before seen, let alone a place I don't recognize?_ His thoughts continued to buzz until the shock of the water, having turned cold, brought him back to reality. Quickly washing himself, he practically ran out into the main room to get clean clothes, his boxers wet with residual water. Hilde, unfortunately, had turned around right as he stormed out of the bathroom and quickly turned back to the stove, blushing up to her ears. "Duo Maxwell, why the hell are you running around practically naked?" For his part, Duo was slow to realize why she was yelling until he looked down; his blush quickly matched hers and he practically dove back into the bathroom, barely hanging onto his clean clothes. "Sorry, Hilde!" The door slammed, separating the two teenagers from their embarrassment. Another ten minutes passed before the two could say anything, and it was solely due to the fact that their dinner was getting cold and the silence was too heavy.

* * *

"That's all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow." With that, Morooka began walking out of the classroom, the students starting to pack up their belongings, until a voice called out over the intercom. "**Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice.**" Morooka frowned deeply as he turned to the class. "Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." With Morooka now gone, the class erupted in chatter, some focused with thinly-veiled disgust for their homeroom teacher, others wondering what the deal was with the announcement, still others gossiping about the scandal that had been on the news yesterday. Outside, sirens could be heard over the voices of the students, but nothing could be seen other than the fog that had settled into the Samegawa Valley overnight as a result of the heavy rain.

Suddenly one of the students by the window walked over to the center section of chairs and started bugging one of the girls. Souji for his part simply shook his head as he packed his books into his bag, though a part of him easily noted how cute she looked in her red shirt, and her long black hair only helped to make her look even more beautiful, but again Souji pushed those thoughts aside as the girl who he was sitting next to started talking to the girl in red, whispering about 'rainy nights' and 'soulmates'. Pushing back the need to rub the bridge of his nose, Souji got up and stretched as he wondered about the 'brief' staff meeting. _Geeze, those teachers are taking too long… what needed to be talked about now that couldn't wait until after we left?_ He sat down to finish packing up his stuff when the intercom suddenly blared to life again. "**Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…**" but at that point he'd tuned it out with his own thoughts and the gasps of surprise from the other students.

Nodding a goodbye to a couple of the girls who had been standing near him and said goodbye to him, he stood up to head to the scene of the crime, hoping to find out something from his guardian, the head detective Dojima. _They did say to contact my guardian..._

Smiling to himself, he didn't notice the green-jacket girl standing next to him and almost ran right into her, but he simply slid to the side to avoid the impact and smiled at the two girls as one started talking. "Hey, are you going home by yourself? Why don't you come with us?" Souji frowned thoughtfully for a moment before nodding his agreement. _Why pass up the offer to escort two lovely ladies through a treacherous fog?_ Not catching his smile, the short-haired girl continued talking. "Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?" His smile didn't falter as he replied "Naturally." Her expression read the same as if she'd sighed in relief. "Well, nice to meet you!" She then motioned to her friend with the long black hair and said "This is Yukiko Amagi." The girl, now identified as Yukiko bowed as if by reflex and said in her low tone "Oh, nice to meet you… I'm sorry that this is so sudden…" Souji merely raised his hands and grinned. "It's alright, Yukiko-san. It's nice to meet you too."

Chie blushed and looked panicked. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all." Despite all that, though, the two looked completely at ease with each other, and Souji smiled to himself as the three of them turned to leave, only to run into the kid that had crashed his bike earlier in the day. He had a desperate look on his face as he held a case in front of him. "Uh, umm, Satonaka-san…?" If possible, he looked even more afraid as he stammered. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see… and…" He suddenly bowed, holding out the case. "I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!" As she took it, confusion written on her face, he looked to the door and started running, muttering a "Seeya thanks!" as he did until Chie yelled "Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!" and tackled him from behind, sending him… or rather, his crotch, into a chair, making him fall to the ground in pain. Only then did she open the case, only to realize the worst-case scenario had happened. "What the-! I can't believe this! It is completely cracked… My 'Trial of the Dragon'!" she cried out. A sound came from the floor as Souji and Yukiko came around the corner, sounding like "I think mine's cracked too… C-Critical hit to the nads…"

Yukiko frowned worriedly, bending down closer to him. "A-Are you alright?" The guy, somehow, masked his pained expression with a look of hope and adoration as he said "Oh, Yukiko-san… You're worried about me…?" A 'tsk' sound came from behind Yukiko as Chie turned around, storming out as she said "He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go home." Souji looked at the guy in pity for a moment before catching up with the two girls.

* * *

"Uh… so… excellent job on dinner, as always…" Duo said, chuckling nervously as the two sat on the sofa, the space between them feeling much wider than the twelve-inch gap that would have been enough room for a third person.

"Y-Yeah, thanks… so… h-how did you sleep?" Hilde muttered while looking away. It was to her credit that dinner had afforded her enough of a distraction that her blush had been kept to a minimum, but unfortunately time seemed to slow down at night and her thoughts had returned full-force to that afternoon's incident, causing her face to heat up again.

"Well… er, it was weird…" Duo realized that this was his chance to get them away from the awkward topic they were trying to skirt around. "There was this thick fog, and a path made up of red tiles, even though I could see only the ones about up to five feet in front of me, and there was this weird figure in the fog. And then there was that kid…"

To say the least, Hilde's expression had changed to confusion fairly quickly. "What're you talking about? What kid? And fog?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah, thicker than any I'd ever seen on Earth, let alone on the colonies. Anyway, the kid was about our age, actually… schoolkid, though, if his uniform meant anything. He had a sword that he was using to fight that figure hidden in the fog… and for some reason I was fighting it too. I had my scythe, of all things…"

"Duo…" Hilde muttered warningly. "I thought you were going to stop thinking like a Gundam pilot. The war's over, we won."

"But that's the thing, Hilde, I wasn't in Deathscythe. I was holding a miniature version of it, or something…" Duo shook his head. "I dunno, it was weird… it kept saying things like 'Humans only see what they want to see' and things like that."

Her embarrassment forgotten, Hilde leaned over and hugged Duo. "Well, it was just a dream. I doubt anything is going to happen. Don't stress over it too much."

Duo sighed and hugged her back. "Alright, Hilde-babe. Well, let's see what's on TV." With that, they turned it on and settled into the sofa, the day's events soon forgotten.

* * *

Souji couldn't wait for the day to end. Chie had ended up embarrassing him, they found out what had happened (_a murder, of all things? Sheesh…_), and things just kept happening until it was time for bed. Exhausted, Souji left the living room and went to his room, contemplating about what was going on, until it suddenly hit him.

"He said 'a terrible catastrophe is imminent'… is this what he meant?" Souji fell back onto his futon and sighed. "What an annoyance… I wish my parents weren't running around so much. Ah well, at least Dojima-ojisan has a nice home. It's so difficult to find a place to live… I'll probably end up having to move overseas just to get some breathing room. Though if some places open up here in the future I might move here… *yawn* It's a nice town…" With that, he fell asleep, still wearing his uniform.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_"The Moon in the upright position… This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'."_

* * *

"Duo! Wake up!" Hilde shouted from the kitchen. "Heero's on the line and it sounds serious!"

"Babe, he's always serious…" Duo muttered as he stirred, pulling himself up reluctantly from his bed and slipping on a shirt and some shorts before trudging over to the video-phone. "Do we have another mission, Heero?"

"Possibly. Do you remember the Maganac Corps?" Heero asked, his expression more grim than usual.

Duo frowned as the lovable group of Arab fighters that supported Quatre sprang to mind. "Of course. Why?"

"Quatre called me earlier this morning. One of them, by the name of Abdul, is dead. They found his body just after 'sunrise', though because of the fog no one could find him at first," Heero replied.

"… Damn. How did he die?" Duo asked, the shock evident on his face.

"They're doing an autopsy right now, but there's been no conclusive evidence as to what the cause of death was," Heero answered. "No gunshot wound, no poison, no nothing… and it gets even more alarming."

Duo raised an eyebrow, knowing that Heero would never use the word 'alarm' unless things were really bad. "How so?"

"He was found hanging off of a satellite dish on top of the Winner Corporation headquarters."

"No way!" Duo exclaimed, hearing a loud gasp from Hilde, who had been listening the whole time. "Dude, there's no way that was an accident, or a suicide for that matter!"

"I know," Heero agreed. "However, there's been no word as to what exactly killed him. Thankfully we're able to keep it under wraps for now, and his family has been notified. With Quatre in the shape he's in, though, I don't know how long that's going to be possible."

"Yeah, he does tend to blame himself for everything…" Duo muttered, worried for his blond friend and fellow Gundam pilot. "By the way, what's this about fog? I thought the colony weather generators were incapable of producing fog; that's one of the dangerous weather conditions on Earth that they decided to not copy."

Heero nodded and said, "Yeah. It wasn't supposed to happen, but after the scheduled rain on that colony last night a fog appeared and is still covering the whole inside of the colony. The engineers are completely baffled as to why this is happening. Keep your eyes open; there could be people who are still sour about the collapse of OZ or the Mariemaia Army, or simply want power and are choosing to take it by targeting us Gundam pilots and those close to us."

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll be on the lookout," Duo replied, then sighed as the video shut off. "Man, talk about a heavy blow… those Maganac guys are a great bunch."

Hilde walked over and hugged Duo from behind. "Weren't those guys the ones who gave you and Quatre shelter after the New Edwards Base incident?"

"That's them. They also showed up during the final attack against Libra, but I'd heard they willing scrapped their mobile suits after that battle and were afterward employed by the Winner Corporation." Duo placed a hand on Hilde's arms. "I'm going to call Quatre. If I know him at all, he's going to need a friend right now."

* * *

For Souji, the night passed uneventfully, to his surprise. Despite the conversation with Chie and Yukiko rolling around in his mind, he managed to get to sleep quickly, though as everyone knows when one puts a thought off during sleep it's always there to greet you the next morning. The thought, however, was blown out of his mind as a crash jarred him. Looking down at the poor guy who seemed to have a never-ending stream of bad luck, calling out weakly for help, he shook his head as he pulled the garbage can off the guy's head. 'How does a guy end up crashing and getting stuck in a garbage can?' he thought as he tossed it aside.

"Whew, you saved me. Thanks!" the guy replied cheerfully as he stood up and picked his bike up. "Uh… Oh yeah, that's right, you're that new transfer student, Souji Seta. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Pleased to meet ya."

Souji nodded back. "That was an interesting stunt… you alright?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Yosuke replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna!"

"Yamano? Yeah…" Souji replied. "Heard it on the news." _Though I first found out when I walked past while engaged in conversation with two lovely ladies… but there's no need to mention that,_ Souji thought, keeping his face neutral throughout the whole inner monologue.

"You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could have been an accident." Yosuke commented, to which Souji simply shrugged. "Dangling a dead body on a roof like that… that's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill somebody in the first place." Of course, it finally dawned on Yosuke to look at his watch. "Oh, crap, we're late! You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

Souji looked from Yosuke to the dinged-up bike, then back to Yosuke as he quirked an eyebrow. "I'm a pretty good runner, so we should be fine." With that said, the both of them took off down the street, knowing full well that Morooka would be looking for any reason to give them detention… along with another long-winded speech.

The day passed uneventfully, though Souji was glad he brought earplugs for Morooka's homeroom class; he wouldn't dare wear them during his philosophy class, since that was an actual class and he found satisfaction in his ability to pass his classes with ease. As he began to put his books away, Yosuke came up from the desk behind him and said, "So, you getting used to this place?"

Souji smirked and replied, "Yup."

"… Damn, that was fast," Yosuke replied, clearly surprised since it had taken him awhile to adjust. "There isn't much to do around here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something that you can't get anywhere else."

"Like unpolluted air?" Souji asked, earning a chuckle from his earphone-wearing friend.

"Yeah, the air's clean, the food's great – oh, have you heard about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, right?"

"Heh, yeah," Souji agreed.

"I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out, so it's on me," Yosuke asked.

"Sounds interesting. I'm always game for food," Souji replied. Of course, he always made sure that Dojima never found out that he was the one eating the leftovers out of the fridge, _though you think I'd have learned from that wasabi incident…_ he thought as he moved to get up, only to have a green blazer blocking his path.

Chie stood in front of Yosuke, clearly not pleased. "What about me, huh? No apologies? Remember, my 'Trial of the Dragon'!?"

Yosuke sighed, mumbling, "You always come around when I'm talking about food…"

"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?" Chie asked her black-haired best friend, who seemed to be busy trying to organize all of her study materials as Souji had been doing earlier.

Yukiko glanced up, her expression showing slight confusion as she tried to catch up to the gist of the conversation, then shook her head. "I'll pass; I don't want to gain any more weight. I have to help out at the inn today, anyway."

Both Souji and Yosuke looked over at Yukiko with the same expression. _Put on? You've barely got any weight to begin with!_ They both though, though were smart enough to not say it out loud. Instead, Yosuke said, "Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the family business?"

Souji caught the pained expression that crossed Yukiko's face for a moment before she replied, "It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy." Picking up her books, she said, "Well, I should be on my way" and walked out as Souji watched her with an intrigued look.

Chie, who was used to Yukiko disappearing right after school, simply shrugged and said, "Ah, well. We should get going, too."

Yosuke felt his thin wallet in his back pocket and mumbled, "Do I seriously have to treat two people?" Souji, for his part, kept quiet as they left the school building for the day, his thoughts focusing more on Yukiko's expression. _I guess she's not all that eager to take over, not that I blame her given the amount of responsibility that goes into running any kind of business… but still, why did she look so bitter?_ He was so caught up in his thoughts that by the time he realized where he was Yosuke had already left them by a table in the Junes food court. He could tell Chie was unhappy as the both of them sat down. Shortly Yosuke came back carrying a tray of drinks and sat down between Souji and Chie.

"THIS is the cheap place you were talking about? They don't serve grilled steak here!" Chie complained as she took her cup of soda.

Yosuke simply glared back and replied, "Well, once you hopped on the freeloader train I had to change my plans."

Chie, however, would have none of it. "Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."

"Dude, this isn't my place or anything," Yosuke retorted.

_They argue worse than a married couple_, Souji thought to himself. _Still, 'his place'…?_

Yosuke caught Souji's expression and said, "Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So our entire family came out here." Reaching for a cup, he handed it to Souji. "Here, this is to welcome you to town." Remembering his manners, he turned to Chie, who had already taken her cup, and said, "Satonaka, yours is on me, too."

"Yeah, I know," Chie replied happily as she sipped her drink. Several minutes passed as the three talked about nothing particular, but after a pause Chie looked down at her cup and said, "You know, it's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing, and…" Her brain finally caught up with her mouth and she looked over at Yosuke apologetically, managing to say, "Oh, uh…"

Yosuke, however, wasn't buying it. "You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" he asked, then sighed with annoyance. Ignoring Souji's confused expression, Yosuke caught movement out of the corner of his eye and commented, "Hey… it's Saki-senpai! Sorry, be right back!" as he stood up and walked over to the dye-blonde Junes employee who had sat down at a table nearby.

Souji watched and asked, "Who's she, Yosuke's girlfriend?"

"Haha, he wishes!" Chie replied, holding back a louder laugh as best she could. "That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district."

_That can't be good, if what Chie implied is true…_ Souji thought.

"I think she's working here part-time, though," Chie finished, which earned a raised eyebrow from Souji.

Meanwhile, Yosuke had already reached her and asked, "Hey, how's it going? You look beat."

Saki looked up and Souji couldn't help but notice an irritated look on her face for a moment before she replied, "Heeey! I'm finally on break. What's up, Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?"

Yosuke grinned and replied, "Madam, you wound me!" When Saki's exhausted look failed to disappear, he added, "Kidding aside… You look down. Is something bothering you?"

Saki's eyes momentarily drifted to the left as she answered, "… It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

Yosuke wouldn't be deterred, however. "Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen. I…"

"Hehe, I'm fine. Thanks, though," Saki replied, but her sigh and mumbled comment, "Ugh… why did I leave school early yesterday?" told more about her true state. Seeing Yosuke's inquisitive expression, Saki quickly changed topics and walked over to Souji and Chie as she asked Yosuke, "Hey… is he the kid who transferred here?" Putting on her best friendly expression, she asked Souji, "Are you the new transfer student?" Before Souji could respond, however, Saki started rambling. "Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much."

Chuckling nervously, Yosuke muttered, "N-not necessarily…"

Clearly not hearing him, Saki continued. "He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get a bit nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him to his face when he starts to annoy you.

Souji was clearly unconvinced about her sincerity, but he knew better how to hide his true thoughts from his expression. "Nah, he's a great guy."

"Ahaha… I know. I'm just kidding," Saki replied sheepishly.

Yosuke was clearly uncomfortable with the topic as he said, "C-c'mon, senpai, there's no reason to worry about something like that."

Saki looked down at her watch and frowned. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go… Laters!" she said just before walking away to another part of the store.

"Oh, uh, Senpai…" Yosuke said, but too low for the now-distant Saki to hear, and he slipped back into his chair. "Haha, Saki-senpai says that I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me." Looking at Souji, he added, "She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way."

Chie grinned deviously and said, "Ohh, you don't want her treating you like a little brother, huh? Oh, I get it… So that's how it is…" Mimicking the dreamy expression she would see on Yukiko's favorite romantic-comedy anime, she added, "The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain… The flame of forbidden love!"

Souji had to keep himself from chuckling as the furiously-blushing Yosuke replied, "Wha-?! Dude, it's not like that."

Chie appeared unconvinced. "Oh, reeeeeealy… Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen… And they say that person's your soul-mate."

Yosuke's face had gone from irritation to intrigue to disbelief and back to irritation. "What? For a second I thought you were actually going to say something useful… How can you get so excited about such a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?" Chie retorted.

"Of course I don't!" Yosuke replied.

Chie was clearly intent on coming out on top of this argument, though. "Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out- then you'll see!"

"Try it out… Wait," Yosuke asked, "you haven't even tried it yourself!? Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid… All that aside… You know that 'incident' yesterday? You guys think it was murder?" Grinning maliciously at Chie, he added, "Oooh, what if the culprit behind it is still lurking around…? Heehee…"

Chie shuddered and replied, "Sheesh, you shouldn't joke around about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one…? All I'm saying is, you guys had better try it out tonight."

_Can't hurt, I guess… Still, this whole deal is bothering me; between that dream, the murder, and this rumor… I wonder if there's a connection,_ Souji thought. "Well, I'm going to head home. Dojima-ojisan is working late and I need to be there to watch over my cousin."

"Alright," Yosuke replied. "See you tomorrow!"

"Make sure you do what I said tonight!" Chie added.

* * *

"Thanks, Duo, but I'm alright," Quatre replied. "The funeral will be held two days from now."

"Hilde and I will come. It's the least I can do…" Duo replied.

"Actually, Duo, I was wondering if you could preach at the funeral," Quatre added. "You were raised by a Catholic priest, right?"

Duo was clearly surprised. "Yeah, but… well, let's just say that any faith he might have had died with him. I wear the collar out of respect for him, not for any faith in any sort of Creator."

"I understand. Please forgive me for touching that wound," Quatre replied apologetically.

_He just lost a dear friend but he's more worried about me… Quatre, you never cease to amaze me,_ Duo thought. "It's alright. I'll do it… to be honest, it might do me some good. I'll see you then." Putting the phone back on the hook, he looked over at Hilde and said, "I need to go. I should be back tomorrow, but if not I'll meet you at the Winner Company headquarters the day after."

Hilde nearly protested, but seeing the pained look in Duo's face she simply nodded and said, "Alright, but make sure you're there or else!"

"Heh, alright, Hilde-babe, I promise," Duo replied as he put his baseball cap on and, after grabbing his wallet, walked out of the small house and into the dimming 'evening' light of the colony.

* * *

Souji found himself sitting at the table with Nanako, eating take-out again as they watched television. "So, Nanako, how was your day?"

With drooping eyes, Nanako looked up and replied, "It went alright."

"… Did Dojima-ojisan call to say when he would be home?" Souji pressed.

"No," Nanako replied. "He always says he will…" Just then, however, the front door opened and closed, and Nanako's face lit up. "Oh, he's home!"

_Wow, he looks as beat up, if not more so, than Konishi-san…_ Souji thought as he watched the tired detective walk over to the couch. "What a day…" Ryotaro mumbled before he turned to look at Souji and Nanako. "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"

Nanako shook her head. "No. You're late again…"

"I'm sorry," Ryotaro replied, "been busy at work." As he sat down he asked, "Could you put the news on for me?"

Souji turned to the TV screen as the channel was changed to the local news station. On it were the usual suspects: two boring-looking reporters wearing three-piece suits sitting behind a large desk. The camera zoomed in on the one on the left, who began speaking. "Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi." _Hm, okay, this is a follow-up report on the murder... wasn't Namatame-san a councilman's secretary? They were talking about his affair on the news as I was leaving Tokyo to come here…_ Souji thought as the announcer droned on. "The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."

Ryotaro sighed in exasperation and muttered, "An interview with the kid? Where the hell did they find her?"

The scene on the TV quickly switched to an outdoor source and a reporter whose voice immediately grated on Souji's nerves excitedly began grilling the student, asking, "What went through your mind as you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?" As the student stammered for a response, Souji thought, _I can't tell who that is, but for some reason she looks familiar…_ and studied the blurred picture as the reporter continued, "Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?"

"Oh… she was killed?" the student asked, clearly surprised despite the distortion of her voice.

The reporter clearly picked up on this and mentally backtracked. "Oh, err… So did you see anyone suspicious around here?"

"No, not really…" the student replied.

Finding new ground, the reporter jumped off onto an unrelated tangent, asking, "We heard that you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"

"Huh? That's…" the student replied, having been caught off-guard again and unable to reply.

_Wait, she has bleach-blonde hair… Is that Konishi-san?_ Souji thought as he remembered Saki Konishi from Junes. As the camera cut back in to the desk, the main announcer cut in, saying, "- A tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district. Many storeowners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result."

"If they do lose more customers," Ryotaro commented, "it'll be because you're making such a big stink about it."

A commentator, who had been sitting next to the news announcer, began making his own statements. "It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna… I'd have to say it's a warning, or a sign from the culprit."

"Yes, but so far no one has come forward to take credit for the crime," the announcer replied. Souji thought he heard Ryotaro mumble something about prank calls, but the news was louder.

"So, the cause of death is still unknown?" the commentator asked. "And they don't have a single suspect? Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force who can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?" As the program switched to commercials, Souji vaguely wondered why Ryotaro hadn't said anything in defense of his division, but quickly found out why when Nanako asked him about going to Junes and only a light snore could be heard in response. _Didn't think that kind of work could be so draining…_ Souji thought to himself as he got up. "Hey, Nanako, I'm going to get the rest of my stuff unpacked, and then I'm going to go to bed, okay? Don't stay up too late!" he said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't," Nanako replied.

* * *

A brisk wind blew through the ruined sector of the colony that Duo walked through, blowing open his cloak and making him thankful for the minister's collar that he always wore around his neck. "Why did I come here?" Duo muttered as he held his cloak closed. "I swore I would never come back…" In his mind, the memories were still fresh, the memories of a family gained and lost quickly…

_ "Get back here, you damned brats!" a storeowner shouted as several children scattered down the streets and alleyways carrying his food with them._

_ "You can send the bill to the Alliance!" one of the children shouted back, only to collide with something and drop his bag of apples on the ground. When he looked up, he saw a kind-looking older man kneeling down to help him up, but he heard the shopkeeper coming and leaped over the man's head and ran off._

_ As the older man stood up and watched the kid run off, the shopkeeper mumbled, "They did it again… I really feel bad for the war orphans, but they're always doing this." The man whose collar clearly showed him to be a Christian priest, smiled sadly at the disappearing form of the child who had run into him._

"Heh, little did I know that you would end up adopting me… and end up paying the ultimate price…" Duo muttered, not without a hint of bitterness in his voice as he stood in front of the ruins of the Maxwell Church.

_"Ow! Hey, stop it!" a small voice echoed throughout the small brick building. Father Maxwell had just opened the door to find Sister Helen, his assistant, holding a pair of scissors in one hand and Duo with her other arm._

_ "This boy… he won't let me cut his hair," Sister Helen exclaimed, hoping the priest would talk some sense into the boy._

_ "Well, duh!" Duo replied. "Bad enough I have to wear these weird clothes… I can't let you cut my hair as well!"_

_ Sister Helen continued to struggle to keep the boy in the chair. "But it's all scraggly and tangled… it's unhygienic."_

_ Duo, however, refused to back down. "I like it like this!"_

_ At this point, Father Maxwell simply raised a hand and gently said, "Sister Helen, let Duo have his way." After an encouraging nod, he watched as Helen began to braid Duo's hair._

_ After she finished, Duo hopped down and swung his hair around. "Ah, much better. Now it won't get in the way when I steal stuff."_

_ "Duo, you're still talking like that?" Sister Helen asked._

_ Father Maxwell simply chuckled and said, "Duo, there's no more need to do that now that you're here."_

"Yeah, we're supposed to beg…" Duo muttered to himself as he sat down on a piece of torn-down brick and looked at the twisted half-melted metal that had once been a chair. "What was I thinking…?"

_"Oh, Duo, you did it again!" Sister Helen chided Duo as they stood in the middle aisle of the main sanctuary._

_ "I-it was their fault! Theirs!" Duo shouted, clearly upset._

_ Sister Helen tried to turn Duo around as she asked, "How can you say that when it was you who sent the other kids to the hospital?"_

_ Duo looked down shamefully and muttered, "Yeah… but…"_

_ Sister Helen could tell something was really bothering him, so she knelt down and asked, "What did they say to you?"_

_ "They said," Duo mumbled, "… they said I smell like a sewer." After only a brief moment, he felt Sister Helen's arms wrap lovingly around him and held him like no one ever had before. He knew this was right, but he didn't know why._

_ "See?" Sister Helen asked. "You're not smelly at all."_

_ "R-really?" Duo whispered._

_ "Really," Sister Helen replied. "So no matter what people say, just ignore them."_

"You were like a mom…" Duo whispered, near tears from having remembered that incident. Having spent enough time around Relena and her family due to his friendship with Heero, he could now speak the word that had been missing from his vocabulary. "Why…? Why did you let those bastard rebels in…? You're dead because of them!" Standing up, he shouted loudly, "WHYYYYYYYYYY!?" and fell on his knees, crying as bitterly as he had when Deathscythe had been destroyed.

_"I did what God asked me to do. I have no regrets."_

"What?" Duo said, surprised, as he looked around. "Is someone there?!"

Suddenly a picture of Father Maxwell popped into his mind, complete with a serene expression._ "Duo, God called us to love even those who hate and persecute us_." Despite only hearing it in his mind, it sounded as clear as any memory he had of the old priest, as if the man was standing in front of him at that very moment_. "Duo… my son… you must move on. Live your life… and most importantly, you must seek out Jesus."_

"Why?" Duo asked, his voice hoarse because of his screaming. "It's his fault that you're dead."

_"No, it's not,"_ the voice of Father Maxwell replied_. "Remember when I told you that the things humans start must be finished by humans? God allowed it to happen to show the depravity of the human heart. Remember when I read out of the letter to the Romans? You know how evil humanity is without God, better than most. God will reveal himself, but you must get to know him yourself…"_

Duo frowned and looked around again. "I can't… I can't believe in a God who would allow all this to happen," he muttered, only to find no response and the image of the priest gone from his mind. "But, what if…"


End file.
